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A question on core textbooks

  • 17-02-2011 1:34pm
    #1
    Soldie
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 1,713 ✭✭✭


    Hi,

    I'm curious as to whether or not core textbooks are prescribed by the Department of Education itself, or if it is at the discretion of the school. I'm aware that Richard Delaney's Understanding Economics is the core textbook for economics. Is anyone aware how or why this is the case?

    Regards,
    Soldie


Comments

  • #2
    rainbowtrout
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,382 ✭✭✭✭rainbowtrout


    Soldie wrote: »
    Hi,

    I'm curious as to whether or not core textbooks are prescribed by the Department of Education itself, or if it is at the discretion of the school. I'm aware that Richard Delaney's Understanding Economics is the core textbook for economics. Is anyone aware how or why this is the case?

    Regards,
    Soldie

    The Dept of Education do not prescribe textbooks. They provide a syllabus that is to be taught. Publishers (Folens, Edco, Gill & Macmillan etc) publish textbooks which are their interpretation of the syllabus. Hence the reason why textbooks can differ in layout and content and why sometimes an odd question will appear on the exam and students en masse protest 'It wasn't in our textbook'. That is not the departments fault. It's up to your school/teacher to choose the textbook they think is most suitable. If it doesn't cover all the information then it's up to the teacher to cover it in whatever way they see fit (notes, handouts, photocopies etc).

    Textbook is not equal to syllabus.

    In the case of a minority subject like Economics it may be the case that there is only one textbook available as publishers are out purely to make money and they will not put time and money into producing a textbook for a minority subject if there is no profit to be made from it. If there is only one textbook available teachers do not have much choice and have to go with that textbook unless they wish to compile their own set of notes for the course for their class.


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